As the man behind the decks for the Global DJ Broadcast, an internationally syndicated weekly radio show, Markus Schulz is easily one of the biggest American exports for modern dance music. Between his radio presence and his remix work (Depeche Mode, Madonna are nice calling cards to have, and working with Gabriel & Dresden on both tracks and remixes doesn't hurt either), Markus is a very busy man.
Over the past couple of years, Markus Schulz has quickly made a name for himself on the DJ circuit. His Coldharbour Sessions mix quickly earned him considerable attention as a talent to watch, and his Global DJ stint solidified the deal. His sound tends to have a foundation in trance, yet leaning more towards a darker, more progressive bent. Ultimately, he has successfully incorporated various styles into his own. On any given week, you are bound to hear some trance, some progressive, some house, some breaks... and it's all so well put together that you won't bat an eye, and just accept that everything was supposed to go together that way from the beginning.
Basically everything that I've heard by him has had such a clear stamp of quality to it that I was excited to hear about his debut artist album. Unfortunately, I may have set my expectations unrealistically high. Before I begin, I would like to go ahead and spill the beans that this is a quality release and a strong debut artist/producer album. However, it is just shy of the bar set by his other work. I expected to land in Paris, but stepped off the plane in Dallas.
Without You Near is the debut release of all-original material from Markus and represents two years of work, while in and out of the studio in amidst his many other responsibilities. To help round things out, he also gets some help from heavyweight trance friends Airwave (a personal fave) and Gabriel & Dresden. The album skews a bit more vocal than I was expecting, with 9 of the 13 tracks featuring some guest vocals, most notably with Anita Kelsey and Carrie Skipper each contributing to two tracks.
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